When the saints come marching in

On Sunday, November 1, 2020, we celebrated the 503rd anniversary of the Reformation and All Saints Day with first communion for four young women and one adult reaffirmation of faith. 

November 1 is often called “the Day of the Dead” in Venezuela, but it’s not like the Day of the Dead in Mexico, with elaborate rituals involving candy skulls and offerings of food to the departed. Rather, the first two days of November are when people lay flowers on the graves of loved ones, much like Memorial Day in the United States. As with the Mexican holiday and Halloween, it is related to the ancient church calendar which designates October 31, November 1 and November 2 as respectively, All Saints Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. And so is the Reformation.

The tradition of All Saints Day began in the fourth century A.D. as the day to honor all who had died for the faith during 300 years of persecution by the Roman Empire. The original date was May 13 and Eastern Orthodox churches still celebrate All Saints Day on the first Sunday after Pentecost. In western Christendom, Pope Gregory III set the date as November 1 in the eighth century, when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

In time, a prayer vigil on the preceding evening was added, which is All Hallows (Saints) Eve, from which the word Halloween is derived. Then November 2 was designated as All Souls Day in the 11th century as the day when prayers were offered for souls in Purgatory. By the end of the 12th century, it had become commonplace to ring church bells during these three days to remind people to pray for the souls of their loved ones in Purgatory. Not only was the false doctrine of Purgatory incorporated into these observances, in many regions so were pre-Christian customs associated either with harvesttime or honoring and/or placating the spirits of the dead. 

Lutherans added another twist to this tradition by establishing October 31 as the anniversary of the Reformation. Martin Luther is said to have begun the Reformation when he posted his 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on All Saints Eve 1517. This surely was not happenstance, as the 95 Theses deal with medieval conceptions of penance, purgatory, merits of the saints and the authority of the papacy.

The Roman church still teaches that in baptism we receive redemption from original sin and eternal death. We agree and therefore recognize baptism in a Roman Catholic church. But, after baptism, when the Christian falls into sin because of the sinful nature, he must do penance, because repentance is not a change of mind and heart effected by the Holy Spirit, but an act of recompense done by the sinner. If the sinner cannot do enough penance in this life, he may suffer in purgatory before entering the eternal life promised in baptism. Suffering in purgatory is not forever, and the Pope has the authority to cut the sentence in purgatory by a letter of indulgence. This is still the teaching of the Roman church, no matter that no part of it is found in the Holy Scriptures. It is the fine print that denies the good news of the new life in Jesus Christ. This system that contradicts God's Word arose because many did not believe that we cannot do anything to receive God's grace. 

 Furthermore, in the Roman church, the saints are the ones who have avoided purgatory on their own merits. We can know someone is a saint when requests to this person are answered by miracles verified by the church of Rome. The treasure of the church, according to this belief, is the abundance of the merits of the saints that the Pope can apply to the account of others. This idea is not from Scripture either. 

In contrast, Luther wrote thus in the theses: “Any truly repentant Christian is entitled to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters. Every true Christian, living or dead, shares in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted to him by God, even without indulgence letters ... The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God." 

So this year we received five sinners by Adam’s fall and saints by Christ’s resurrection and their baptisms into the full blessing and fellowship of the church. 

Rita Maria Zapata. “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Mateo 28:20b 

Yusmelvis Naikeli Salas Medina. “Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 

Lorena Alexandra Rujano Contreras. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should sho forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 

Anyelimar Katiusca Meza Ruiz. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 

Jariannys Nathaly Rojas Arias. “Jesus sad to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 

Answered prayer 

We had a positive and productive meeting October 23, 2020, with representatives of the Ministry of Education charged with the care and education of preschool children. Most of them had not visited our campus before, and were surprised by its size and condition. They were impressed by our commitment and service to the community as a church (in the sense of a local congregation), tending to both spiritual and material needs. This bodes well for when we reopen regular classes in January. For now, our teachers continue to distribute food and online lesson plans to our preschool families.

 

Baptisms and confirmations from Advent to Epiphany

One challenge to Advent observance is convincing people that it is not yet the season to be jolly. In principle, Advent is supposed to parallel Lent as a season of reflection and repentance. In one case, we prepare ourselves to, in humility and gratitude, celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, in the other, the mystery of the Resurrection. But the world wants to party and so it does.

In the cultural context of Venezuela, everyone is given time off for most of December and the first week of January. In the past, most have used this free time for vacations in the mountains or the beaches, or for visits with family members (even if these are relatives that they see every other day of the year anyway). Because of the current economic cristis, much of this activity has been scaled way back. But still too many have forgotten the real reason to celebrate in due time.

The long national holiday includes the closing of all schools, which is a rule that we must live by. So during the first week in December, we had our Christmas party for the preschool children and their parents. This was an opportunity to present the true message of Christmas as well as share food and gifts. One couple, Samantha and Sandro, parents of our preschool student, Juan Diego, portrayed Mary and Joseph. Their newborn son, Sandro Dionel, stood in for the Christ Child.

The following Sunday, December 8, Eduardo Garrido, a former preschool student and recipient of a scholarship for Christian education from the LeadaChild mission society, received the gift of eternal life in Christ through holy Baptism. The appointed text was Luke 21:25-26, and as I said in the sermon, the promise of the new covenant in Christ is for all nations. The hallmark of this new covenant is not circumcision as in the old covenant, but the baptism that Eduardo Garrido will receive today. No matter our race or tribe, we are Abraham's heirs in the water linked to the Word of God. Therefore, our hope is not only for Christmas next year, but for the day when Christ comes again in glory. Because in baptism we are also heirs of eternal life that Christ won for us on the cross. He was punished for our sins on the cross, but let us share in his resurrection from death because of baptism. Christmas points to Holy Week. Jesus was born in this world to suffer and die on the cross. He began his way to the cross with His baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Like the baptism of Jesus, the Father's voice spoke from the heavens and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, in each Christian baptism, the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to live in us.

 

The following Sunday, December 15, Juan Diego and Sandro Dionel were baptized. The appointed text was Matthew 11:2-10. As I said in the sermon, "He who is least in the kingdom of heaven" means any believer in the new covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ. John did not baptize with the Holy Spirit, but Jesus Christ did. The same Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus at his baptism was poured out on the church on the day of Pentecost. Today Sandro Dionel Pérez and Juan Diego Rodriguez will receive new life in Christ through baptism. I am not John the Baptist, but I baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with the same authority as the apostles. In addition, according to the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place once a year to sacrifice the blood of animals for the sins of the people. But Christ sacrificed Himself once forever and now every Christian can enter the Most Holy Place, that is, the presence of God, at any time by the blood of Christ. Because of His baptism, every Christian has more power and authority than the high priest in the Temple of Jerusalem. The priests are not only the descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses, but all consecrated in the baptism of Jesus are heirs of the priests, prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament. According to the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to sacrifice the blood of animals for the sins of the people. But Christ sacrificed himself once forever and now every Christian can enter the Holy of Holies, that is, the presence of God, at any time by the blood of Christ. Because of his baptism, every Christian has more power and authority than the high priest in the Temple of Jerusalem. Priests are not only the descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses, but all consecrated in the baptism of Jesus are heirs of the priests, prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament. The miracle of baptism that will occur today is greater than thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai, larger than the division of the waters of the Red Sea. In baptism we have the promise of eternal life and in that the peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen.

A rude awakening

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve and the following Sunday, December 29. On the evening of December 31, we celebrated the circumcision and naming of Jesus. The service went well, but at 3 a.m., January 1, Luz Maria and I were awakened by the cries of our neighbors. There was a fire in the church! A ventilation fan had been left on, and it short-circuited and burst into flame. One fellow jumped on his motorcycle and went throughout the neighborhood alerting everyone of the fire. Thanks to everyone’s help, we were able to put it out before there was irreparable damage (except to the fan). But all the smoke had left a layer of stickly soot over everything but the altar (which was covered by a plastic sheet. We do that to prevent damage to the altar cloths from flying insects and birds). Fortunately, we were able to clean it all and repaint the walls before Sunday. 

At the same time that volunteers were cleaning and repainting the chapel, Luz Maria and I led a vacation Bible school on the work and mission of the church and the means of grace. There were perhaps as many adults as children in attendance. 

First communion on Epiphany

We celebrated the Epiphany on January 5, and also the third anniversary of the dedication of our chapel. Karla Valeria Frías Torrealba received her first communion that Sunday. Her mother, Yudy Torreabla, who joined our congregation by affirmation of faith, was by her side.

I included in the reading of the story of the Magi the account of the massacre of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. The visit of the Magi signifies that the promise of salvation is by grace (or gift) for believers of all nations. But the confirmation vow reminds that we must, with the help of the Holy Spirit, persever in our confession of faith, even under pain of death. We remembered in prayer the persecuted Christians of Nigeria, China and other parts of the globe.

Lord God, revealed in the Christ as the One whose foolishness is wiser than men and whose weakness is stronger than men, help those who suffer for the sake of truth to find Your strength in their weakness, to see your glory in what is despised, and to feel Your presence in what is desolate. Help them to understand that in Your gentleness there is power, that in Your grace there is strength, and that in Your forgiveness there is life. Relieve them from torture and pain, from strain of the emotions, and from temptation, danger and agony of soul. Use their suffering for the conversion of those who torment them, for the strengthening of those who love them, and for the welfare of Your people everywhere. Keep them in your steadfast love in Christ, our Lord, for His sake. Amen.

Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, 1970.